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Marshall Public Schools outlines READ Act rollout, screening and curriculum changes
Summary
District staff reported completion of READ Act training for most staff, adoption of state-approved screeners for older students, continuing use of DIBELS at lower grades and planned curricular adoptions after pilot work.
Beth, curriculum director for Marshall Public Schools, gave an update on the district’s implementation of the state READ Act and related structured‑literacy work, saying staff completed required training and the district has set screening and curriculum plans for next school year.
The READ Act matters because it requires annual demonstration that students are reading at grade level; the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) has tied training, screening and adoption of evidence‑based curricular materials to that requirement. Beth said 106 teachers and five administrators completed the phase‑1 training this year and that phase‑2 training was delayed by MDE until the 2026–27 school year.
Beth said the district has been using DIBELS as an approved K–3 screener for several years and extended use of that screener through fourth grade. For students in grades 4–12 who are not demonstrating mastery of foundational reading skills, she said MDE’s recent guidance includes a single approved screener — CAPti Read Basics — which the district will use beginning next school year to “screen, identify and intervene.” Beth said the state’s standard is now that “every student [be] reading at grade level every year,” a change from the previous third‑grade benchmark.
On curricular resources, Beth said the district has reviewed MDE/Cary (transcript: Carryall) Institute alignment lists and completed K–12 pilots. She listed planned adoptions and pilots: Parkside will continue with Hegarty (phonics) and begin a writing curriculum piloted this year; Southview will continue with Really Great Reading for phonics in second grade and use Benchmark Advance in grades 2–4 after teacher pilots; middle and high school piloting and final decisions are still in progress while the district awaits additional MDE guidance on secondary resources.
Beth shared district assessment results to date, noting kindergarten DIBELS benchmark rates rose from 26% at the start of the year to 82% at the end, and first grade rose from 34% to 77%. She attributed the growth to “appropriate tier 1 curriculum” plus intervention.
District directions and next steps included: offering a shortened structured‑literacy training for non‑certified staff during next year’s workshop week (provided by Southwest West Central Cooperative), onboarding new hires who lack prior approved training, continuing screening and intervention work, and finalizing secondary curriculum choices when MDE releases further guidance. Beth also reported that phase‑2 READ Act training (5–12 teachers, instructional support and curriculum directors) is now scheduled for 2026–27 per MDE’s update.
Jeremy, superintendent, and other board members thanked staff for completing the work and noted the state timelines and limited choice of approved tools had required the district to adapt. No formal board action was taken during Beth’s presentation; the update was informational.
